Collapsible suitcase



Dec. 18, 1962 w. T. ARMSTRONG 3,068,972

COLLAPSIBLE SUITCASE Filed Feb. 9, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. l /ILL/AM [ARMSTRON BY /8 I Maw J oZMmaZnemKd/Qhan cam 715d ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 18, 1962 w. "r. ARMSTRONG COLLAPSIBLE SUITCASE 2 Sheets-Shem 2 Filed Feb. 9, 1959 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent 01 3,068,972 COLLAPSIBLE SUITCASE William T. Armstrong, Rte. 1, Prairie View, Ill. Filed Feb. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 791,993 8 Claims. (Cl. 190-41) 7 The present invention relates to suitcases, and it more particularly relates to collapsible suitcases which may be readily assembled and disassembled so as to be conveniently stored and shipped when not in use.

There are many occasions when the need arises for the temporary use of a suitcase for carrying articles of clothing and the like, and while such a suitcase should be sufiiciently sturdy to provide adequate protection of its contents it need not be as durable as conventional suitcases. Moreover, in order to minimize the retail price of such a suitcase so as to make its use practical, it should be very light in weight and compact in size when not in use to reduce shipping costs and to minimize storage space. In the past, collapsible suitcases have been suggested for this purpose and for the most part they have included telescoping parts to reduce their size for storage and shipping when not in use. However, these suitcases were not altogether satisfactory since they did not provide the convenience of use of conventional, permanent type suitcases nor did they have the appearance of conventional suitcases. As a result, their use was never widely adopted, and there still remains the need for an inexpensive temporary type of suitcase which is sturdy in construction, has the general appearance of a conventional suitcase, and provides the many conveniences of a conventional suitcase.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved suitcase.

It is another-object of the present invention to provide a new and improved suitcase which may be readily assembled and disassembled to facilitate storage when not In use.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved collapsible type suitcase which is inexpensive to manufacture.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved suitcase which may be collapsed when not in use to reduce storage space, which has the general appearance of a conventional, permanent type suitcase and which has the convenience of use of a conventional suitcase.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this application.

For a better understanding of the present invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible suitcase embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the suitcase of FIG. 1 in an open condition;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged top view of the suitcase shown in FIG. 1 with certain portions including the handle cut away;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional fragmentary view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3 assuming that FIG. 3 shows the complete structure;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view, with certain portions cut away, taken on a line 55 of FIG. 3 assuming the suitcase to be completely shown therein;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 6 -6 in FIG. 5 assuming the suitcase to be completely shown therein;

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FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 77 of FIG. 5 with certain portions cut away;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a blank used in constructing the suitcase embodying the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the blank shown in FIG. 8 with some of its peripheral portions folded into difierent planes.

Briefly, there is provided in accordance with the present invention a collapsible suitcase generally indicated at 11 which, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, comprises an outer shell or body formed of a bottom part or half 12 and a top part or half 13 which are hinged together along an adjacent edge by means of a pair of U-shaped members 16 and 17 and which enclose a removable liner 14. A handle 15 is attached to the part 12 by means of a rod 18, and a latching mechanism including a similar rod 19 is mounted in the top part 13 for securing the parts 12 and 13 together to lock the suitcase. The parts 12 and 13 and the liner 14 are preferably formed of con-' tainer board or the like and can be readily disassembled and folded flat for convenience of shipping and storage. In this regard, an important advantage of the suitcase 11 is that it consists of but seven basic parts so as to be very easily and quickly assembled or disassembled as the circumstances require.

Considering the suitcase 11 in greater detail, as shown in FIG. 1 it has the general shape of a conventional permanent type suitcase, being generally box-shaped and including the convenient carrying handle 15 extending from the top wall. The body of the suitcase comprises the two longitudinal halves or parts 12 and 13, which are identical in size and shape and when fittted against each other as shown in FIG. 1 form a six sided container.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, each of the halves 12 and 13 is made from a rectangular blank, generally denoted as 20 (FIGS. 8 and 9), Which is preferably made of a flat sheet of container board or other suitable material. As shown, the blank 20 comprises a central panel 21 to which is connected a pair of side panels 22 and 23 and a pair of end panels 24 and 25. The central panel 21 is separated from the end and side panels 22-25 by a plurality of creases 26, 27, 28 and 29, and the side panels 22 and 23 are separated from the end panels 24 and 25 by a plurality of slots 31, 32, 33 and 34. In order to assemble each suitcase half, the end panels 24 and 25 are folded over along respective creases 38 and 39 and again along creases 28 and 29 into the position of the panel 24 shown in FIG. 9. Thereafter, a pair of buttonlike feet 41 and 42 having annular flanges 48 and 49 are respectively inserted into a pair of apertures 43 and 44 provided in the side 22; and the sides 22 and 23 are each folded along respective pairs of longitudinal creases 46 and 47 over the inwardly extending sides of the end panels 24 and 25. a larger diameter than the apertures 43 and 44, the feet 41 and 42 are secured in place. With the parts 12 and 13 thus assembled, the marginal edges of the end and side panels 22, 23, 24 and 25 engage the upper surface of the central panel 21 and prevent spurious disassembly of the assembled unit. As shown, the end panels 24 and 25 are provided with slots 50, 51, 52 and 53 to provide the recesses in the sides of the body halves 12 and 13 for receiving the rods 18 and 19.

In order to secure the handle 15 to the body part 12, there is provided a retaining plate 57, to which the handle 15 is pivotally attached. A pair of intermediate discs 58 and 59 and a pair of bolts 60 and 61 secure the handle 15 to the plate 57 and the plate 57 is positioned within the body part 12 with the discs 58 and 59 respectively disposed in a pair of arcuate recesses 63a and 64a provided in the upper edge of the folded panel 23. The recesses are formed by a pair of apertures 63 and 6 4 provided in Inasmuch as the flanges 48 and 49 each have the panel 23 along the creases 46 and 47 and by a plurality of arcuate recesses 65, 66, 67 and 68 provided in the end panels 24 and 25.

Each of the discs 58 and 59 includes a passageway 71, best shown in FIG. 5, through which the rod 18 extends for securing the handle assembly 15 to the part 12. The discs 58 and 59 also include respective slots 73 and 74 for receiving the rod 19 to prevent lateral movement between the parts 12 and 13 when the suitcase is closed.

In order to lock the suitcase, the rods 18 and 19 are provided with reversely bent end portions 18:: and 19a so that when the rods 18 and 19 are fully inserted, as best shown in FIG. 3, the U-shaped ends 18a and 19a respectively are each disposed in the rod receiving recesses in both the parts 12 and 13. In order to unlock the suitcase, the rods 18 and 18a are withdrawn until the U- shaped ends 18a and 1% are completely removed from the associated apertures; the parts 12 and 13 may then be pivoted about the hinge rods 16 and 17. If desired, a pair of flexible loops 79 and 80 may be attached to the U-shaped ends of rods 18 and 19 to facilitate withdrawal of the rods from interlocking engagement.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inner liner 14, which is preferably provided in order to protect the contents of the suitcase 11 from dust and the like, is also collapsible and may also be formed of container board; The top of the liner 14 comprises four flaps 83, 84, 85 and 86 which may be easily opened for packing and unpacking, and a longitudinal portion 87 of the front flap 84 and the adjacent corners 88 and 89 of the side flaps 83 and 85 may be inclined to avoid interference with the closing of the suitcase.

In view of the detailed description included above it will be appreciated that there has been provided a very useful suitcase which is inexpensive to manufacture, which may be readily assembled into a sturdy and serviceable suitcase, which consists of a small number of parts and which, except for the handle assembly 15, may be folded fiat for storage in a minimum of space.

While there has been illustrated and described a particular embodiment of the present invention, it will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in the art, and it is intended in the appended claims to cover all those changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A suitcase comprising a first part, a second part, said parts being adapted to be interconnected to provide a container having a completely enclosed space therein, and I a detachable hinge including a rod having a U-shaped portion with the arms of said rod received in respective elongated recesses provided in adjacent portions of said parts when said parts are in an assembled condition.

2. A suitcase comprising a first part, a second part, said parts being adapted to be interconnected to form a container having a completely enclosed space therein, each of said parts being provided with respective elongated recesses in portions which are adjacent when said parts are in assembled condition, and a detachable hinge including arms received in respective ones of said elongated recesses.

3. A suitcase as set forth in claim 2 wherein said hinge comprises a U-shaped rod having the arms thereof extending into said respective elongated recesses.

4. A suitcase as set forth in claim 3 comprising an additional U-shaped rod having the arms thereof insertable into a pair of parallel recesses respectively provided in juxtaposed peripheral portions of said parts, said juxtaposed peripheral portions being oppositely disposed from said elongated recesses.

5. A suitcase as set forth in claim 2 above wherein said arms are parallel.

6. A suitcase as set forth in claim 2 above wherein said parts are each formed of a one-piece folded container board.

7. A suitcase as set forth in claim 2 above and additionally including a separate one-piece liner disposed therein and formed of folded container board or the like.

3. A suitcase comprising a pair of identical one-piece parts formed from folded container board or the like and adapted to be interconnected to provide a container having a completely enclosed space therein, each of said parts being provided with respective elongated recesses in portions which are adjacent when said parts are in an assembled condition, and a detachable hinge including arms received in respective ones of said elongated recesses, whereby said suitcase may be disassembled and collapsed into a plurality of flat members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 305,341 Schwerin Sept. 16, 1884 655,939 Overton Aug. 14, 1900 898,026 Wilson Sept. 8, 1908 1,040,300 Fitzgerald Oct. 8, 1912 1,387,597 Fetters Aug. 16, 1921 1,721,960 Krischer July 23, 1929 1,849,565 Brady Mar. 15, 1932 2,425,035 Garnett et al Aug. 5, 1947 2,506,789 Hyde May 9, 1950 2,636,662 Diehl Apr. 28, 1953 

